The Atacama Desert Fog Collection Project at Falda Verde, Chile

Virginia Carter1 , Robert Schemenauer2, Pablo Osses3, and Hugo Streeter4

1 Field Project Coordinator, FogQuest: sustainable water solutions, and Geography Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, [email protected] 2 Executive Director, FogQuest: sustainable water solutions, 448 Monarch Place, Kamloops, BC, Canada, V2E 2B2. [email protected] 3 Field Project Manager,FogQuest: sustainable water solutions, and Geography Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, [email protected] 4 President, “Agrupación Atrapanieblas Atacama” (Atacama Atrapanieblas Group), Chañaral, Chile.

ABSTACT

Desertification has had an enormous impact on the coastal zone of northern Chile (Regions I to IV) and it has been classed as one of the major socioeconomic problems of the country. One of the most innovative ideas used to fight this problem is the installation of Large Fog Collectors (LFCs) for the production of water and the irrigation of plants. The Falda Verde project illustrates the experience that a group of 18 fishermen, with 70 family members, had in installing a fog water collection system in the coastal zone of the Atacama Desert. It was done with the technical help of experts from FogQuest, which is a charity dedicated to helping rural communities in arid lands.

1. INTRODUCTION

The project began in 2001 with the objective of Current cools the warm and humid air that it providing water to the coastal settlement of Falda comes from the Pacific Ocean down to the dew Verde. With the help of eleven fog water point, forming low cloud and fog. In the case of collectors, an average of 600 L of water per day orographic fog, the presence of mountains and is now being produced, and used, in the driest the action of the predominant wind that pushes place on earth. A pipeline takes the water down the air, allows the ascent of the air over the to a greenhouse 2,300 m from the coast and to a mountain, where the air expands and cools down plantation in the desert sand. forming fog.

The specific factors that determine the presence 2. EVALUATION OF FOG AS A WATER of the fog in the study area are the following RESOURCE ones (FogQuest Fog Water Collection Manual, 2005): In the northern zone of Chile, there are different factors that determine the general presence of a) Mountain ranges: The Falda Verde fog and the extremely arid conditions. Aridity mountain. results from a combination of subsidence b) Altitude: This Mountain rises to 600 m.a.s.l. generated by a permanent high-pressure area c) Distance to the sea: 1,5 Kilometers to the over the Pacific Ocean and the atmospheric coast line. stability induced by the cold northward-flowing d) Corridors of fog penetration: Falda Verde is Humboldt Current (Larraín et al., 2002). These located at the border of the northern margin of conditions lead to low cloud decks over the Salado Valley, faced directly to the coast line. ocean and frequent fogs on the coastal e) Wind: The predominant wind of the area is mountains. In this zone, we have advection and from the SW. This is considered to be the most orographic fogs. In the case of advection fog, positive for the arrival and reception of fog on the presence of the Humboldt the north coast of Chile. This SW wind forms fog on the upslope side of the hill, which is near relation to the Operational Fog Water Collection the coastline defined as an open bay that allows Project in El Tofo, Chungungo, they contacted the easy arrival of the marine stratocumulus Professor Horacio Larraín. (Anthropologist and cloud. cultural ecologist specializing in fog ecosystem f) Relief and slope orientations: The studies). After the visit of the expert to the study orientation of the mountain is NW - SE in zone and his respective scientific and technical relation to the coast line. Also, the mountain has instructions, the fog water evaluation project was a windward hillside, which is exposed directly to realized by the support of local funds. Later, the the predominant wind in the area. group together with IECTA, the University of g) Vegetation: The vegetation in this case is Arturo Prat of Iquique, the Service País program, not an indicator of the presence of fog, due to the the Municipality of Chañaral and the Embassy of arid condition of the environment,. Australia, obtained the funds for the first Large h) Accessibility: The Mountain has a small Fog Collectors, and other infrastructure like footpath up which it is possible to climb. It takes water storage tanks, access route to the project approximately 2 hours to slowly walk to the site, field leveling, wood storage, greenhouse collectors. materials and the water conduction system. The funds came from private enterprises, the municipality, government institutions and local projects in the region. The first use of plant irrigation was principally for vegetables and greens like tomatoes, Italian pumpkins, potatoes, corn, carnations and olives. Actually the unique Chañaral species that has been cultivated is the Aloe Vera plant. According to studies done by the group, for the cultivation of 1,000 plants of Aloe Vera it is necessary to have 4,000 liters of water, over a period of 230 days using drip irrigation.

During these formative years, FogQuest members such as Pablo Osses and Horacio Photograph 1: Chañaral´s bay viewed from the top of Falda Larrain provided continuous assistance and Verde Mountain, near the fog collectors. modest sustaining funding was provided by Rotary International Clubs of Southern Ontario, Canada, through FogQuest. These funds built 3. THE BEGINNING OF THE FOG and repaired fog collectors and improved the COLLECTION PROJECT: EVALUATION infrastructure of the project. OF POTENTIAL IN THE AREA The fog potential evaluation on Falda Verde The first contact between the group of fishermen mountain was made during two consecutive and the experts on fog studies in the north of years, from November 1998 to November 2000. Chile was made in 1988. The group had the The group first installed a locally designed fog dream to create another economic activity to collector (1.5 m2 , 1 meter above the surface) increase their possibilities for income. The main and made measurements during two weeks. idea was based on fog water collection for the Later, the FogQuest members installed an irrigation of plants and vegetables but also on a Standard Fog Collector (SFC), of 1 m2 structure growing tourism opportunity for Falda Verde. with raschell mesh, two meters above the One proof of the enormous water supply surface. With this, the measurements were done problem in Chañaral is the existence of a simultaneously by both instruments. In both pipeline that brings water from Copiapó, located cases, the water was collected in plastic water 180 kilometers to the south. tanks of 100 liters each (Larraín et al., 2001).

After the first observations in the study area made by the fishermen’s group, they recognized the permanent existence of the stratocumulus and, after a little investigation specifically in Pool of water storage Aloe Vera plantation

Greenhouse

Figure 2: Actual installations in the field, view from the Figure 3: Aloe Vera plantation with his respective fog water walking route to the Fog Collector Project. irrigation system.

Analysis of the measurements at the site In 2005 FogQuest started with further significant determined there was an average of 1.46 economic and technical contributions to this L/m2/day, corresponding to the one of the amazing project. In July, Virginia Carter, with lowerst averages in the northern Chile. This is in the support of a group of geography students of comparison to measurements done in Falda the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Verde and five other locations; Alto Patache, also with members of the Atacama Atrapanieblas Cerro Guatalaya, Cerro Moreno, Paposo, and El Group , started the construction of the second Tofo. The total period considered for the operational phase of the project. Four new Large analysis went from 1987 to 2001 (Larraín et al., Fog Collectors, with 40 m2 collection area each, 2002). were built (two double structures). With these new collectors, the average water production of the project was increased, according to the data 4. LARGE FOG COLLECTORS AND THE collected in the evaluation phase, from 400 to DREAM OF WATER IN THE DESERT 600 liters of water per day.

Once the evaluation of potential was done and At the end of 2006 the group of fishermen even without high collection rates at the site, the achieved new funding through a project fishermen’s dreams were realized. When the presented to the Angloamerican Enterprise comparisons between Falda Verde and Alto “Mantos Blancos Division”. This phase of the Patache (Iquique) were done, the data were an project consisted of funds for adjustments to the average of four times less for Falda Verde (1,46 earliest fog collectors and also for the future l/m2/day in Falda Verde and 7,12 l/m2/day en construction of a third phase of Large Fog Alto Patache). Nevertheless, due to the extreme Collectors. These activities are underway at this water need identified in the study area and the moment and will probably be finished by August enormous enthusiasm and work effort shown by of the present year. The new collectors will be the fishermen’s group, the construction project positioned on the same edge line of the mountain was realized. In 2000, the group found finances (second phase) and connected to the water to build six Large Fog Collectors on the top of storage tanks existing in the project installations. Falda Verde Mountain. Three structures, one The actual water storage system is made up of triple, one double and one single were two plastic tanks of 5,000 liters each and also, a constructed. The construction took 55 days and pool of 30,000 liters capacity. included one system of greenhouses (6 rows of 26 x 1.10 meters long) and an irrigation system. 5. SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION OF ATACAMA GROUP MEMBERS

The idea of the group is to be able to have another activity to add to fishing and other traditional works. One advantage of the project and especially of the social organization of the group is that it mixes diverse ages and interests. has a sporadic nature and they must combine it The idea of the people is that the project with other activities such as small agricultural continues growing in the number of LFCs and in projects. cultivated land, thus being able to generate In relation to the drinking water available, in the economic benefit for the families. city houses belonging to the members of the

group, only one of them is not provided with the typical service of municipal drinking water. The family that does not have this service uses the water that is delivered to it by truck, typical of Operational phase 2001 the extreme zones of the country. Operational phase 2005

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This paper shows the development of one of the most innovative fog collection projects in the world. At present this fog collection project is the only one existing and operational in multiple Figure 4: Large Fog Collectors, constructed between 2001 phases in Chile (water collection, water storage, and 2005, on Falda Verde Mountain . irrigation of plants, harvesting of plants). The families of the members do not take direct Through the initiative and enormous effort of part in any way in the project. Only the bread- the Atacama Atrapanieblas Group, the dream of winners are members of the group. Nevertheless, collecting water for future economic and social if the project continues over time, clearly the benefits, in the middle of the Chilean desert, has children of the members of the group will be the begun to be realized. It is recommended that the heirs of this interesting initiative. Both the project be continued with more phases of Large members of the group, and their families, live in Fog Collector construction and the respective the town of Chañaral, where they work in fishing connections to the existing water storage system, and in other diverse activities. The idea of the to obtain a larger plantation of Aloe Vera, project is not to receive fog water to supply their increasing the possibility to open another houses but to be able to have an initiative that is economic activity for the fishermen’s group, the sustainable economically over time. The dream sale of agricultural products. of the members of the group is to be able in the near future, especially for the majority, to leave their current activities and to live on the fog 7. REFERENCES water and the respective products generated (Aloe Vera, tourism, bottled fog water). Schemenauer, R., Cereceda, P. and Osses, P., (2005) FogQuest Fog Water Collection Manual, Of the whole membership, 16 have been eight Toronto, Canada, 100pp.. years in the group, that is, from its formation. Larraín, H., Velásquez, F., Cereceda, P., Espejo, The two remaining ones have been members for R., Pinto, R., Osses, P., and Schemenauer, R. six years. This reflects a marked continuity in the (2002). Fog measurements at the site “Falda structure of the group. Most of the members Verde” north of Chañaral compared with other have a family, and almost all of them live with fog stations of Chile. Atmospheric Research 64, their children and in some cases with their 273-284. grandchildren. They live with their wives who Larraín, H., Velásquez, F., Pinto, R., Lázaro, P., work in their houses where they do not receive Cereceda, P., Osses, P., and Schemenauer, R. any type of salary. All the members have (2001). Two years of fog measurements at the completed secondary education (school structure site “Falda Verde”, north of Chañaral (Chile). of Chile). Only one of the members has Conference on Fog and Fog Collection, St. completed university studies and he is the only John’s, Canada, 15-20 July, 2001. one that has a better salary than the others (he works for a mining company). For the majority of the members, the principal work that they have is fishing in the Bay of Chañaral. The work